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Roasted and Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Fried Chicken" by Jessica Lang


Recipe Introduction

"Baking the bird before frying it allows for a shorter frying time and a simple guarantee that each piece will be evenly cooked through. Soaking in highly acidic sour cream and buttermilk makes each bite tangy under the crunch of the cornmeal crust."

List of Ingredients

◦ 2 cups sour cream
◦ 2 cups buttermilk
◦ 1 chicken (about 3 pounds, 12 ounces), cut into 10 pieces
◦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
◦ 1 � teaspoons salt
◦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦ 1 � cups Southern all-purpose flour, homemade or store-bought (such as White Lily brand)
◦ � cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
◦ Peanut oil, for frying


Recipe

Stir together the sour cream and 1 cup of the buttermilk and pour into a large zip-top bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag, rub to coat the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400� F. Remove the chicken from the zip-top bag, rinse the pieces, and pat them dry with paper towels. Arrange the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub the meat with olive oil and sprinkle with � teaspoon of the salt and � teaspoon of the pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and cool for about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and the remaining � teaspoon of salt and � teaspoon of pepper.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 inch of peanut oil over medium heat to 360� F. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Working with half of the chicken at a time, dip the pieces into the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and dredge in the flour mixture. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear, turning frequently. Maintain a frying temperature of 330� F. Drain the chicken on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Serves 4 to 6






❧ Southern All-Purpose Flour:

"Store the flour in an airtight container. Check the expiration dates on both the cake flour and the all-purpose flour. Use the earliest date as your expiration date on your new batch of Southern flour."

◦ 1 cup cake flour
◦ � cup national brand all-purpose flour

Stir cake flour and all-purpose flour together.

Makes 1 cup